1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a refiner control and is more specifically concerned with an adaptive refiner control which operates with respect to real time process measurements and adjustable constants to provide a calculated main drive speed that is related to the energy drawn by the main drive of a refiner.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The basic problem faced by paper mills today with respect to refining is maintaining the refining intensity, which is a function of refining plate design and net energy applied to paper stock, constant for a given grade of paper at a varying rate of production and then, using the same refining equipment, producing another grade of paper at a different rate of production and a new set of horsepower day per ton and refining intensity values. Present techniques provide a constant speed of the main drive motors; therefore, for a change in production rates, an adjustment in refiner power is undertaken to obtain the required horsepower day per ton, but the refiner intensity remains virtually unchanged because the speed is unchanged.
Under the foregoing conditions, paper mill personnel must continue to adjust refiner power in an attempt to find the optimum refiner setting for the desired results. This setting often results in wasted energy.